The rounding up of a violent drug gang in Anderlecht's Peterbos neighbourhood, which was linked to several shootings in Brussels, is "going to make a difference to security in Brussels," said National Drugs Commissioner Ine Van Wymersch.
A large police operation in the Peterbos neighbourhood on Tuesday busted a criminal organisation linked to Marseille that wanted to take over the Brussels drugs market with brute force, from shootings and kidnappings to violence, intimidation and attempted murders.
"The organisation acted like a large multinational that, at the same time, was also well-anchored locally," Van Wymersch said on Flemish television on Wednesday evening, adding that the local leaders worked and lived in the Peterbos neighbourhood. "They really did intend to control the whole drug market in Brussels from there with brute force."
Belgian National Drug Commissioner Ine Van Wymersch. Credit: Belga/Jonas Roosens
As of Wednesday, 19 people have been arrested, some of them are already detained. "It is a heavy blow for the gang. There has been very hard work to arrest the superstructure, the leaders. If you arrest one dealer, another immediately takes their place. If you remove people in key positions, the whole system collapses."
Van Wymersch added that some of the people who were arrested will be very difficult for the criminal gang to replace. "The higher you get in such organisations, the more unique the position."
Still, she stressed that the police work is far from over. "This is the start of new investigations, to go even higher up and even wider in scope." With any luck, the authorities could right up to the real top of the gang, but they would be in Dubai, according to Van Wymersch.
Escalation of violence
Brussels has been plagued by drug-related violence for months, but Van Wymersch believes that breaking the Peterbos organisation will make a substantial difference to security in Brussels. But this alone will not solve all the issues in one fell swoop.
This was proven last night, when two people were killed and three more were injured in a drug-related shooting in Saint-Gilles in a bar on Rue Argonne, located right next to Brussels Midi station.
The perpetrators allegedly fired with Kalashnikovs at people out on the terrace. While it seems like the victims were random customers at the bar there are indications that the shooters were settling a score within the drug world and the targets were the Albanian owners of the bar.
"We have to be vigilant for an escalation of violence from other gangs that want to take the place of the gang that has now been busted," Van Wymersch said. "The best thing would be to have real alternatives in the neighbourhoods. This is about society building, such as housing quality, cleanliness, mobility and prospects."
